Heart-related problems can be diagnosed more accurately as a result of a €1 million upgrade in the equipment at Mater Dei’s cardiac catheterisation suite.

The upgrade was funded by the National Development and Social Fund, which manages the money raked in from the sale of citizenship to wealthy foreigners.

Cardiology chairperson Robert Xuereb said the upgraded equipment would allow interventions previously impossible to be done in Malta.

"We can for instance use soundwaves now to look inside an artery and be able to calculate precisely how long a stent needs to be," he said.

The upgraded equipment will also release 60% less radiation, making it safer for patients and medical staff.

The equipment was inaugurated this morning by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, who is also health minister.

Xuereb said Malta was at the forefront of treatment for heart conditions, telling the Prime Minister that the equipment available at Mater Dei was only available in two clinics in neighbouring Italy.

Xuereb said the cath suite theatres at Mater Dei are the only ones serving the islands. "We do around 3,000 procedures a year here ranging from an angiogram to a MitraClip. The latter is one of the most complex procedures, and which we are now doing in Malta, with around eight patients having benefitted from it to date," he said.

Fearne said that a strong factor behind the advancement in the medical area was strong government investment in the sector. "We can now offer some of the best cardiac treatment in the world," Fearne said.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies in 2011, Massimo obtained ...